Quinn Gleason and Sabrina Santamaria were left in awe of the Philippines’ hosting of its first ever WTA tournament.
Top-seeded doubles pair of Quinn Gleason and Fil-Am Sabrina Santamaria were more than satisfied with how the Philippines has hosted the Philippine Women’s Open, following their opening match on Wednesday night.
Gleason and Santamaria were tested by Ye Qiuyu and Hiroko Kuwata in their quarterfinal match, 6-4, 7-5, and then after the smoke cleared, the doubles specialists expressed their positive feedback over how things have transpired in the past few days.
“I’ve been telling everyone how impressed I've been with the organization. Everyone's trying so hard to put on a great event, and the players really can tell, and we really appreciate all of you guys. All the details, we're really noticing,” Gleason said.
“From getting our nails done, hair done, great food upstairs, everyone's been super friendly and nice, and I'm just really happy to be here. The hotel is also beautiful, and it's been a great week so far,” she continued.
Santamaria, who last gone to Manila when she was just eight years old, mirrored her partner’s sentiments and even said that it felt better than most of the higher-ranked tournaments they were able to compete in so far.
“Yeah, they're doing an amazing job. The organization, all the volunteers, you guys have thought of everything, and I really believe that this has run bigger than a 125K [tournament],” said Santamaria.
“I really believe this is better than some 500Ks that we play at, so it's really a special thing to be here,” she added.
The American duo had similar sentiments to top-seeded singles player Tatjana Maria who commended the organization when she won her opening round match earlier this week.
“It (the Philippine Women's Open) is super nice. I think that everybody agrees with me that the tournament seems to have existed for years. It is so well-organized,” she said.
[RELATED: Tatiana Prozorova ousts top-seed Tatjana Maria from Philippine Women’s Open]
When it comes to crowds, Santamaria also added that she and Gleason saw a better showing here than in the Australian Open, where they both played with different partners prior to flying to Manila.
“The crowds have been significant and so amazing. We're getting bigger crowds than we had in Melbourne, honestly, so it's really incredible,” he said.
The final stretch of the tournament is in its full swing with three days left of action.
Hometown bet Alex Eala remains in the running as the second seed in the singles tournament. She plays her quarterfinal match against Camila Osorio on Thursday, January 29.
—
Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.